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Analysis: Jaguars have money for Alex Mack, but is it right move?

If the Jaguars sign Cleveland center Alex Mack to an offer sheet the Browns don’t match, they will be adding one of the most coveted free agents of the year.

They will be setting a new salary bar for Mack’s position.

Currently, only seven centers are playing for contracts that include more than $10 million guaranteed.

If Mack opts to sign his transition tag tender with Cleveland for $10.039 million, he will become the league’s highest paid center — for a year — and would be one injury away from seeing his market value plummet.

If he decides to sign with the Jaguars and Cleveland lets him walk, Mack’s deal would likely be north of $20 million guaranteed — and maybe well north.

Mack was in Jacksonville on Friday night for dinner with general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley and departed Saturday morning.

A source told the Times-Union Saturday night the “minimum” guaranteed money the Jaguars could offer Mack to give Cleveland pause is $22 million in the first three years of the contract.

“Is a center worth that much in the current NFL?” the source said. “I don’t see it, but Jacksonville can afford it.”

Pro Football Talk quoted a source Sunday saying the Browns would match an offer sheet containing $22 million guaranteed “in a second.”

The Browns would have 432,000 seconds (five days) to make a decision once an offer sheet is submitted to the league office.

But since word of Mack’s visit to the Jaguars got out, questions have been circulating.

Does it make competitive sense? Will the Jaguars be markedly better if they add Mack.

Yes. The Jaguars adding Mack would be an upgrade over the retired Brad Meester. Mack has never missed a game and would join left tackle Luke Joeckel and new left guard Zane Beadles — and maybe even emerging right tackle Austin Pazstor — to form a respectable line.

Does it make financial sense? Will the Jaguars hamstring themselves for future contracts by allocating so much money to a position that isn’t thought to be a premium need?

Who knows and no.

If Mack ends up here and continues to play every snap of every year and makes Pro Bowls, it will be worth the high wage.

Regardless, it wouldn’t put the Jaguars even on the cusp of cap problems.

The Jaguars can afford to overspend on Mack for four reasons.

■ Unrestricted free agents after this year will be headlined by receiver Cecil Shorts and include defensive tackle Roy Miller, linebacker Geno Hayes and cornerback Alan Ball. None are likely to command big money.

■ The Jaguars don’t have long-term money locked up at the premium positions like quarterback, No. 1 receiver and pass rusher.

■ Even if the Jaguars believe Joeckel and others from the 2012 draft class are building blocks, they can’t extend them until after the 2015 season.

■ And here’s a juicy theory: The Jaguars now covet a quarterback at No. 3 who they think can start right away (or early this year) and want a veteran center like Mack to ease the transition. It might be far-fetched but worth debating.

The Jaguars currently have nobody on the roster that has started an NFL game at center, but the vibe during the last month was they were content to let Mike Brewster, Jacques McClendon, Patrick Lewis and a possible draft pick compete for the spot.

Several centers have re-signed or gone elsewhere since last month: Tampa Bay signed Evan Deitrich-Smith ($7.25 million guaranteed), Philadelphia extended Jason Kelce ($12.9 million guaranteed) and New England retained Ryan Wendell ($850,000 guaranteed). Veterans Dominic Raiola (Detroit) and Roberto Garza (Chicago) remained with their teams on one-year contracts.